China calls passage of Japanese warship through Taiwan Strait a 'provocation'

A Japanese Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the ​Taiwan Strait, China's foreign ministry ​said on Friday, calling the move "a deliberate provocation" ​as Beijing's ties with Tokyo remain fraught.

The Chinese military has handled the entry "in accordance with laws and regulations," Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson ‌for the Chinese ⁠ministry, ⁠said at a regular press briefing.

Japanese military's escort ship Ikazuchi sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, citing sources.


Japan's Self-Defense Forces declined to comment on a report about Guo's remarks. Sino-Japanese relations sank to the lowest point in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae ⁠Takaichi said ‌in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan. China views democratically-governed ⁠Taiwan as its territory despite Taipei's rejection of the claim, and frequently refers to the issue as a "red line that must not be crossed" in its diplomatic relations with other countries. It also claims sovereignty over the strategic Taiwan Strait and has responded aggressively on occasion to foreign navies sailing there.

Takaichi's "wrong remarks" regarding ‌Taiwan have already severely impacted bilateral relations, and Japan's dispatch of a military vessel into the Taiwan Strait, as "a display of ⁠force", marks a "mistake upon mistake" and threatens China's sovereignty and security, Guo said.

China firmly opposes this and has lodged a strong protest to Japan, he said. The Chinese navy tracked and monitored the transit of an Australian warship through the Taiwan Strait in February, state-backed Chinese media had reported.